In the rapidly expanding customer-owned coin-operated telephone market, there are countless telephones to choose from, but few deliver the profitability owners want. Since profitability is only possible if the phones are frequently used, it is essential that the phones have a familiar appearance and be provided with user-friendly functions.
Typically, a housing with handset, hookswitch, dial, coin rejector, trigger switch, and coin relay hopper but not the chassis is sold to private paystation manufacturers for customizing to their products. Such customizing may include the installation of security devices which prevent unauthorized calls and entry, modular components which are located for easy servicing, LCD displays, and many other "smart" pay telephone features.
In an attempt to provide the customer with a familiar, user-friendly pay telephone having the above noted desirable features, a problem arose which concerned the use of a display in the upper instruction window. Because the position of the upper instruction window would cause the display to interfere with the coin release linkage mounted in the interior of the housing, it became necessary to design a new coin release mechanism.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a coin-operated telephone with a housing having internal components positioned therein in a manner which will provide an extra large interior to permit add-on features to be installed while still maintaining a familiar, user-friendly appearance and function.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a telephone with a coin release mechanism which provides for positive actuation of the coin release mechanism of the coin acceptor from a position in the housing which will not interfere with the ability of the housing to later receive the add-on features and also provide unobstructed full width display windows.